Streator residents will be asked on the ballot Tuesday, Nov. 6, if the city should retain the managerial form of government.

This summer, Larry Thomas, of Streator, collected 152 signatures on a petition that required 115 signatures, or 10 percent of the votes cast in the last mayoral election, to get the question on the ballot. The signatures were certified in court.

The city currently has the managerial form of government.

If a majority of yes votes are received, the city will keep its current form.

If a majority of no votes are collected, the city manager form remains in place until after the April election, then a new set of council members are elected and seated. The city then would revert to its previous form, the commission form of government.

What is the city manager form of government?

The council-manager form was first adopted by a referendum passed in November 1986. The city hired its first city manager in July 1987, which happened to be current City Manager Scot Wrighton.

With managerial government, council members make policy and approve all expenses and liabilities. Streator elects four council members and a mayor staggered every two years, with no wards.

The city manager is the administrative and executive head of the government. That role oversees city departments, day-to-day operations and drafts the city's budget, at the council's discretion and final approval. The manager has the ability to hire or remove city staff who are not elected. The appointment to most committees, however, lies with the mayor.

The City Council can hire and fire a city manager at its discretion.

What is the commission form of government?

Under this form, voters elect a mayor and four commissioners who serve on the council.

At the first regular meeting after the April election, the council designates each member to be either the commissioner of accounts and finances, public health and safety, streets and public improvements, or public property. The mayor serves as commissioner of public affairs. Commissioners are not required to work full time.

When Streator had this form of government in the 1980s, commissioners were given first choice of the department they wanted to head based on the number of votes they received, with the leading vote-getter choosing first. The council may put in an ordinance that allows voters to elect the specific positions.

Each commissioner is given executive control over those departments, which means they hire and fire personnel, set budgets and manage those departments.

Pros of managerial government

Kurt Thurmaier, a professor at the Department of Public Administration at Northern Illinois University, said managerial form of government is the greatest protection against corruption.

City managers adhere to a strict code of ethics, which also involves not getting into the politics of the City Council.

"This means, for instance, a city manager can't take a side on a sales tax referendum," Thurmaier said. "It also means the manager works for the whole council, and not just the mayor, or a certain member of the council. If a council member's relative wants a city job, the city manager approaches it on a merit-based system, not politics."

Thurmaier used the city of Dixon as an example of what can happen without a city manager in place. There, former comptroller Rita Crundwell stole $53 million in city funds using phony Illinois Department of Transportation invoices, among other schemes.

"Their commissioner was at Northern Illinois, and he said Dixon was having a hard time making ends meet," Thurmaier recalled. "We were struggling to figure out why, because Dixon should have had revenue coming in. We said, 'Maybe it's a problem with your treasurer.' And he said 'No, Rita treats that money like it's her own.'

"That's the commission form of government. You have unqualified people managing departments."

Thurmaier said there are several examples of corruption in commission form or strong mayor forms of government, because they typically are more political in nature, including in Streator in the early 1980s when elected officials pleaded guilty to accepting bribes.

He said a managerial form of government usually has a strategic plan in place, which gives the city manager a guide for how to operate. The city of Streator has developed a strategic plan.

He said managers are trained in city government, and provide professional and efficient government. They also have a professional network they can utilize.

He said a city manager helps the council reach its goals, noting the manager sometimes looks like the bad guy carrying out the will of the council.

"Sometimes it's not even the know-how, but the lack of political will with commissioners," he said. "A city manager is able to say if you don't want to raise taxes, you may have to cut back service, and you can cut this, or this, or this, and then it's the council that gets to decide, but the manager identifies their options. Someone who is elected isn't going to want to be the one talking about cuts."

Thurmaier also said a city manager gives residents a central point to gain information on the city. In a commission form, he said residents approach a commissioner in charge of the specific department.

"At that point, it's up to the commissioner to tell you whether or not you'll get it," he said.

As for the criticism a city manager earns too much money, he said it's fair to pay a salary of roughly $150,000 to someone who oversees a $27 million budget, such as Streator's. Wrighton receives a salary of $129,780 with total compensation, including benefits, at $165,405.

Professional government can make up that difference in expertise. For example, former Rochelle Mayor Bob Gingrich said when his city hired a city manager, the manager instructed the city to contract out its railroad switching rights in just a week's time on the job. The move brought in more revenue for the city than the amount spent on the manager's salary.

Thurmaier concluded he couldn't see any advantages of a commission form.

"From my desk, it would be a huge step backwards in time," he said. "It's less efficient government."

Pros to commission form

Thomas, who filed the ballot petition, told The Times previously the city manager position holds too much power for a non-elected official and the price tag associated is too large for the position. He also believes the position leaves the council less accountable for city tasks.

“I just don’t think we’re being represented by our council members,” he said in June.

Thomas recently declined to comment to The Times.

Additionally, the commission form may give council members a more hands-on look at city government. Commissioners oversee their respective departments, which means they have to be more involved with the day-to-day operations of the city.

While some argue it is more susceptible to corruption, others have said it provides another set of eyes on a department.

"Commissioners have to take a more active role and are involved with the government," said Ottawa Commissioner Wayne Eichelkraut in a previous article for The Times.

Commissioners can lean on department heads for expertise. Also, the city utilizes lawyers, engineers and financial advisers to provide expertise in many areas.

An administrator may be hired to act similarly to a city manager by an approval of the majority of commissioners, and commissioners can set the job description if one is hired, limiting whatever they believe is too much power.

East Peoria, with a population of 22,739, and Mattoon, with a population of 17,886, have hired administrators while operating as a commission form.

Ottawa, which has the commission form of government, has utilized Mayor Bob Eschbach as a de facto city administrator, giving him a salary that exceeds $70,000 per year.